Words that Hinder One Voice Glorifying God

Last week our Christian school had Spirit Week. It’s a fun-filled week intended to bring unity to the individual classes as they compete against one another, as well as school unity as we cheer our school on against another at the end of the week.

Unity is a good thing in a school or any organization, and it takes work and intentionality.

Unity is also an essential characteristic of the body of Christ and, specifically, a local body of believers.

Romans 15:5-6 closes off Paul’s exhortation to the Christians at Rome to welcome each other as Christ has welcomed us—regardless of differences of opinions over debatable lifestyle matters. With eyes set on the hope we have in Christ, and with all the endurance and encouragement that God himself gives us, Paul prayed for the believers:

Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6, NET Bible)

What is striking is the purpose Paul stated for this unity: that we may with one voice together glorify God. What a beautiful thought.

On the Friday night of our school’s spirit week, the different classes who have been competing against each other all week always unite together. With one voice they cheer on our school as they compete against another.

More importantly, in heaven one day, we will join with one voice to praise and glorify God and Jesus Christ, as John saw in his vision:

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13).

Praising and glorifying God together is what all will be doing in the future before the throne. Praising and glorifying God together with one voice is the goal of our unity now. So what is something that could hinder that “one voice”?

Our unified voices could be shattered by the individual shards of grumbling and disputing voices (cf. Philippians 2:14). The side comments about how annoying someone is. The murmurs of “I can’t believe she did that.” The questions that bring someone’s actions, words, or motivations to someone else’s attention. The gossip that bites. The eye roll or scowl that communicates just as clearly as words. The pointing out someone’s momentary lack of kindness or patience (when we all fail so often).

If you’re like me, those passing words of someone regarding someone else get stuck in my head. I may not have wanted to hear what was said. I may even disregard what was said. But they are still there, attached to the speaker and—more importantly—the one the speaker talked about. Not only do our words hinder us from speaking with one voice to God’s glory, but our words can also hinder the unity from the hearer’s point of view.

How can we with one voice together glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we regularly (or even occasionally) are using our many individual voices to criticize or tear down someone instead (or any other sin of speech)?

There are many, many verses on the power of words and the power of the tongue. A whole series could be (and I’m sure has been) written on the subject. But what is striking in this passage is the purpose of our “one voice.”

I am sure we all falter in this area of the tongue. In fact, James says, “And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man” (James 3:2). James calls the tongue a fire (3:6), and he goes on to condemn the blessing and cursing that come from the same mouth (James 3:10). Psalms and Proverbs refers to the wrong words as swords.

“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts” (Proverbs 12:18).

We could look at so many more convicting passages on the tongue. We could also look at what a Christian’s tongue should look like, the grace that can flow from a word in season (cf. Proverbs 15:23; Colossians 4:6).

But to me, nothing is more convicting than to know that Jesus Christ died for the church, so that we may be unified, and so that with one voice we might glorify him together. We will do that perfectly one day in heaven. May God give us endurance, comfort, and hope so that we may strive to do so now for the glory of God.

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Holly Huffstutler serves with her husband David, the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Troy in Troy, MI. She has a master’s degree in Biblical Ministries and blogs with him here where this post first appeared. Holly is a homemaker, raising and putting her four children through school.

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